SCHOOL SYLLABUS.

Dominion, Volume 3, Issue 773, 23 March 1910, Page 4

SCHOOL SYLLABUS.

"HAVE WE GAINED OR LOST?" ' The results of the drastic' change made 'a few years ago by the introduction "of ; a new- syllabus into the. State iSchopki are discussed by the inspectors of the Wellington Education Board in their, annual' report. "As far as our ■experience has'gbne," they state, "our better teachers have done better work under the new regime than they did under the old. The converse,' however, is also true," for poorer'work has been dono by the less skilful and less experienced teachers, with whoin the greater freedom has resulted in lack of concentration -of effort and the natural question therefore arises—have wo gained or lost by the change inaugurated six years ago? Many, educationists are quite decided in their opinion that we have lost ground. They contend, that formal grammar, which they consider one of : the fundamental directive'.'forces in English, has practically, disappeared from' the syllabus, that in arithmetic" speed' and accuracy have deteriorated,' while in geography that minimum of. political and commercial geography necessary for every intelli-. gent citizen has' been sacrificed to mathematical and physical questions of doubtful ..utility. AVhile admitting that ' there i may .'bo. some , truth-in this criticism, wo must'.remember-. , that'thero are some defects which arc inseparable from the fundamental 'changes that have been made in our educational 'methods.'' Modern educationists' are endeavouring to change the schools from the old rigid formal institution, where the child;-went 'to listen, , and where his every faculty, save that of imitation and receptivity, was undeveloped if not stunted, to one in which, , , whiles what may be called, the moro mental part of tho child's training shall not bo neglected, full justice shall.bo done to the moro active aptitudes and , characteristics of his , nature —his 'hand and eye are to bo trained, his spirit of enterprise, power of initiative and habits of observation developed and stimulated by instruction in manual subjects, by investigation and : experiment in the laboratory, and ■ by the intelligent study of. sion in 'doing' is to take the place of impression in 'listening;' As wo havo said so. often before no adequate preparation was .made, nor could he mado to fit.the mass of our teachers for so great a , change except through the Training ■ Colleges, and it is to these institutions that wo must in time look for teachers trained .in the newer methods." ■ I I